feckn mice!

[to v or not to v]

mice have been using my bike during the winter. found a load of nuts under the seat. at least one wire has been chewed through and now the bike wont start.
i know next to nothing about electrics so i guess im going to have to get someone else to fix this problem.
who should i use, dealer, local garage, vehicle tech, any suggestions?
im gutted to say the least.
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current bike Yamaha Thunderace.
Moto Guzzi V7.

[jaffa90]

I suggest an auto electrician, also send the bill to whoever is feeding the birds.

[to v or not to v]

[WD Forte]

Firstly I'd dab a bit of solder on the break or bridge it in some way to see if that is the only reason for the bike not starting

If so, the repair is pretty straightforward
you need to open the connector and find the type, it looks lika a pin/barrel, but I may be wrong it may be a flat pin type.

Whatever, get a new pin/barrel crimp on male of female connector,
crimp it on to 100mm of suitably rated cable cut back the tape to give yourself room to patch it in and solder/sleeve it in and re wrap

When you get details if the pin/barrel thingummy jig in question, get the pics/dimensions and go from there
the bike and a wiring diagram might help

I see a solid orange wire on my monitor, if that's correct my yamaha diagrams suggest it's the cable beween one bank of coils and the ignition control unit
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bikers smell of wee

[to v or not to v]

[jeffyjeff]

Mice look like they have been eating well! There is something about wiring insulation that mice find appetizing. I keep my bike in a garage that is bordered by an open field, and I've seen mice droppings occasionally on the garage shelves. I set out two tuna tins with mice bait pellets, and the evidence of mouse activity has decreased significantly. Except one time I came back after a 4-month trip to California and all of the mouse bait had been eaten (but no other evidence of infestation at all!)
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History shows again and again how nature points out the folly of men - BOC

[Raffles]

What a pity that you didn't post a few hours earlier as I was in Southampton this morning and could have popped round and taken a look.
Anyways, electrics aren't that mysterious/complicated and WD Forte has given mostly good advice.
If you unwrap the loom tape and unwind the orange wire from the others then you will probably gain enough slack wire to not have to patch a piece of wire in.
Make a start on it (following WD's advice) and if/when things get tricky, come back to us.
If you employ the services of a sparky then it will cost you a few pretty pennies, especially so if he has to come to you.
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A good loser will always be a loser.

[to v or not to v]

[Easy-X]

Maybe have a ring round the bike and car garages, see if anyone wants to drop by on their way home and earn some beer money.
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Royal Enfield Continental GT 535, Husqvarna Vitpilen 401, Yamaha XSR700, Honda Rebel, Yamaha DT175, Suzuki SV650 (loan) Fazer 600, Keeway Superlight 125, 50cc turd scooter

[Kawasaki Jimbo]

[to v or not to v]

[to v or not to v]

thank you for pointing out that its a dead end connection Jimbo.

i just went out and tried the bike again. after flicking the kill switch a couple of times and then trying the start button a few times the bike fired up
its not been started since September, which probably explains the initial reluctance.

today is a good day.
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current bike Yamaha Thunderace.
Moto Guzzi V7.

[lingeringstin...]

When I worked at a bike shop somebody brought in their VFR750 that wouldn't start after having been sat over the winter and we discovered a rather substantial nest had been built in the airbox.

[to v or not to v]

little feckers are still in the garage. not having any luck with the traps.
____________________
current bike Yamaha Thunderace.
Moto Guzzi V7.

[jaffa90]

I suggest not touching the traps or bait with bare hands, with mice / rats and mole traps i use nitrile gloves and rub the traps with soil.

[stinkwheel]

I'm a dab hand at setting mouse traps but Mrs stinkwheel said she wanted to use live catch traps so I got some of these: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0CP847PTB

No success initially but then I put nutella in them and they were practically queuing up.
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“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[to v or not to v]

thanks for the tips Mr Stinkwheel.
the traps you linked and Nutella are working a treat.
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current bike Yamaha Thunderace.
Moto Guzzi V7.

[recman]

You could always borrow my Border Terrier, he chomped his way through a nest of the little bastards at the bottom of our garden a couple of weeks ago.

[to v or not to v]

got the wires back together. is there a simple way to test the connection to make sure that its working?
____________________
current bike Yamaha Thunderace.
Moto Guzzi V7.

[blurredman]

Plug it in and start it?

Short of a multimeter
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CBT: 12/06/10, Theory: 22/09/10, Module 1: 09/11/10, Module 2: 19/01/11
Past: 1991 Honda CG125BR-J, 1992 (1980) Honda XL125S, 1996 Kawasaki GPZ500S, 1979 MZ TS150.
Current: 1973 MZ ES250/2 - 18k, 1979 Suzuki TS185ER - 10k, 1981 Honda CX500B - 91k, 1987 MZ ETZ250 (295cc) - 40k, 1989 MZ ETZ251 - 51k.

[to v or not to v]

[blurredman]

No I mean plug the plug back in ?
____________________
CBT: 12/06/10, Theory: 22/09/10, Module 1: 09/11/10, Module 2: 19/01/11
Past: 1991 Honda CG125BR-J, 1992 (1980) Honda XL125S, 1996 Kawasaki GPZ500S, 1979 MZ TS150.
Current: 1973 MZ ES250/2 - 18k, 1979 Suzuki TS185ER - 10k, 1981 Honda CX500B - 91k, 1987 MZ ETZ250 (295cc) - 40k, 1989 MZ ETZ251 - 51k.